The Transfer Tavern

Blow for Allardyce: Very unwelcome setback emerges for Everton

Everton supporters have been in high spirits in the Transfer Tavern this week after seeing their side all but end any possible Premier League relegation concerns with a comfortable 2-0 victory over in-form Brighton on Saturday.

Sam Allardyce’s men went into their meeting with the Seagulls having suffered back-to-back defeats at the hands of Watford and Burnley in their preceding league games, results which saw them slip to just seven points clear of danger. Yet their Toffees all but preserved their top-flight status on Saturday as a Gaeton Bong own goal alongside Cenk Tosun’s first goal at Goodison Park sealed a relatively straight-forward win for the Merseysiders, thus moving them into the top half of the Premier League and ten points clear of the relegation zone.

Thus, there have been many delighted Evertonians in the Tavern in recent times, although their mood is unlikely to be improved by a recent report from the club’s official website, which outlines that playmaker Gylfi Sigurdsson faces between six and eight weeks out due to injury.

The 28-year-old made a big money move to Goodison Park during the summer and while he didn’t make the best of starts to life on Merseyside, he has bagged six goals and laid on five assists for the Toffees in 33 appearances this term.

Yet reports earlier this week suggested that the Iceland international suffered a knee problem in their 2-0 win over Brighton at the weekend, and the club’s official website have indeed confirmed that to be the case, with the midfielder set for between six and eight weeks on the sidelines.

And this very unwelcome update is sure to come as a blow to manager Allardyce, who has regularly used Sigurdsson since his arrival at Everton back in November.

Landlord’s verdict: He may not have set the world alight in his opening few months at Everton, but Gylfi Sigurdsson has slowly but surely become a hugely influential player for the club in recent times.

And that is why recent news that he is set for a six-to-eight week spell on the sidelines is sure to come as a blow to manager Sam Allardyce, what with the 28-year-old sustaining a knee problem in their 2-0 win over Brighton on Saturday.

And with eight games to go, the Toffees chief would have been looking to the Iceland international to inspire them to further wins and thus build momentum ahead of the new season, yet it will now be up to others to step up in Sigurdsson’s absence.